WEBVTT SOLEDAD: THESE ARE THE IMAGES OFMARCHES ACROSS THE COUNTRY,ORGANIZED LARGELY BY DEMOCRATICORGANIZATIONS OPPOSING PRESIDENTTRUMP'S AGENDA.SOME SAY THE MASSIVE TURNOUT WASONE-TIME GROUP THERAPY.OTHERS SAY IT'S THE START OFNEW RESISTANCE.THE BIG QUESTIONS, WILL THE PROTESTS TRANSLATE INTOREAL ACTIVISM FOR WOMEN?DOES IT HAPPEN REGARDLESS OFPOLITICAL PARTONE PERSON SAID THE MARCHMOBILIZED WOMEN, FOR LONG TERMACTION.ERIN VILARDI, THEIR EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR IS HERE.NICE TO SEE YOU, THANKS FORBEING WITH US.HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS OFTHAT MARCH?ERIN: YOU MEASURE SUCCESS BYWHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS, HOWMANY WOMEN HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED.YOU MEASURE SUCCESS FOR US BYHOW MANY WOMEN RAISE THEIR HANDSAND SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.I'M READY TO RUN FOR OFFICE.FOR US, THOSE NUMBERS ARETHROUGH THE ROOF.SOLEDAD: WHAT ARE THOSE NUMBERS?ERIN ON MONDAY, WE LAUNCHEDSOMETHING CALLED NOW I RUN.WE HAVE HAD 500 WOMEN DECLARETHAT THEY WILL RUN AND EITHERRUN IN 2018, 2020 OR WITH A FIVEYEAR PLAN.ABOUT HALF OF THE WOMEN WE ARESURVEYING RIGHT NOW, ABOUT 44%,WANT TO RUN IN THE NEXT TWOYEARS.SOLEDAD: WHAT IS THE CENTRALMESSAGE OF THIS MARCH?ERIN: THE CENTRAL MESSAGE FELTLIKE WE ARE ALL AMERICANS.I MAY NOT LOOK LIKE YOU, SPEAKTHE SAME LANGUAGE, BUT THERE ISROOM FOR ALL OF US.I THINK THE MARCH ORGANIZERS DIDA GOOD JOB OF LIFTING UP PEOPLEYOU DON'T NORMALLY SEE ON TV,WHOSE VOICES NOT USUALLY ON THEFRONT PAGE MAGAZINE OR THE FRONTPAGE OF THE "NEW YORKTIMES CO. THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THEACTIVISM FROM THE LOCAL LEVEL,AS WELL AS THE ISSUES THATWOMEN CARE ABOUT HEALTH CARE,FULL REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, EQUALPAY, INVOLVED IN OUR ECONOMY ANDTURNING THIS COUNTRY AROUND.SOLEDAD: THERE WAS A LARGENUMBER OF WOMEN FOR WHOMREPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ARE NOT ATTHE TOP OF THE AGENDA, OR DON'TSUPPORT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTHOW DO YOU OPEN UP THE TENT THATIS BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD EVERYONEIS PART OF YOUR AGENDA GOESAGAINST SOMETHING THAT THEYBELIEVE?ERIN: I THINK THE MODEL ISACTUALLY THE WOMEN SENATORS ANDWOMEN IN THE HOUSE.THEY HAVE LONG BEEN TALKINGABOUT ADOPTION, TO TALK ABOUTMEDICAL BENEFITS WHEN YOU DOWANT A CHILD.I THINK THERE ARE WAYS WE CANCREATE SOME ALIGNMENT THEREWITHOUT ALWAYS ONLY TALKINGABOUT ABORTION.WE NEED TO HAVE A LARGERCONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IT MEANSFOR WOMEN TO BRING HEALTHYCHILDREN INTO THE WORLD AND LEADHEALTH LIVES SO TAKE PLACE INOUR DEMOCRACY, START BUSINESSES,HAVE THAT SOLID FOOTING THAT ISREQUIRED.SOLEDAD: HOW DO YOU TURN ASOCIAL MOVEMENT THAT WAS WIDELYSUCCESSFUL INTO A POLITICALAGENDA IN THE CONTEXT OF A MEDIATHAT SEEMS TO BE LURCHING FROMTWEET TO SHINY OBJECT OVER HER?ERIN: WE HAVE TO BECOME OWNMEDIA HUB.WE HAVE TO CALL OUT WHEN SEEFAKE NEWS, WE NEED TO MAKECOMMENTS ON FACEBOOK FEEDS WHOMIGHT BE PUTTING OUT THINGS THATSEEM RIDICULOUS THAT YOU KNOW TOBE UNTRUE, OR NOT SCIENTIFICALLYACCURATE.WE HAVE TO BE OUR OWN MEDIA TASKFORCE AND DO THAT ON OUR OWNSOCIAL MEDIA.SOLEDAD: IT SEEMED TO ME, MOSTOF THE WOMEN WERE LEFT LEANING,BUT NOT NECESSARILY OF THEDEMOCRATIC PARTY.>> CORRECT.SOLEDAD: THAT'S INTENTIONAL.IS THAT GOOD?PROBLEMATIC?ERIN: I THINK THAT IS A GOODTHING.I AM NOT LOOKING FOR WOMEN WHOWANT TO BE ON A TEAM.I DON'T THINK PEOPLE THINK THATAMERICAN DEMOCRACY IS A TEAMSPORT THATHAS BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL.MANY MORE YOUNG PEOPLE NOTPICKING DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICANWE ARE SEEING THE DIFFERENTWINGS OF THE PARTIES COME ABOUTAND I THINK THAT IS HEALTHY.IN ORDER TO MAKE ALIGNMENTS ANDGET POLICY WORK DONE, YOU NEEDDIFFERENT COALITIONS.IF KEEPING PITTING DEMOCRATSAGAINST REPUBLICANS WE WILSTUCK IN A GOVERNMENT THAT DOESNOTHING.I THINK IT IS OK THAT ISN'T ACLEAR ALIGNMENT WITH APARTICULAR AGENDA.WOMEN'S RIGHTS ARE FOR EVERYONE.THIS ISN'T ABOUT TYING YOURISSUE TO A PARTICULAR PARTY.

Is There a New Women’s Movement?

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Updated: 11:24 AM EST Jan 28, 2017

When groups are empowered to march, they do not always march as one. This weekend, tens of thousands of women attended “March for Life” in the nation’s capital to call for a pro-life agenda. The day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, millions of women in the United States and abroad turned out to protest his presidency as well as voice support for key political issues – such as reproductive rights, health care and civil rights. Some are calling these marches evidence of a new women’s movement; others are skeptical of what they will accomplish. Erin Vilardi, Founder and director of VoteRunLead, works to train and support women of all political ideologies to run for local and national office. She says, for her organization, it’s all about how many women are inspired to run for office. Vilardi joins Soledad to argue for a women’s movement that rejects party identity and explains how the larger women’s agenda can get lost in the controversy of abortion.